Sunday, July 15, 2012

Isolate and run this Ramadhan

Bismillah.

We had a post in June last year on 'Your crazy nonsense - hadhayan'. It's quoted from 'Al Fath ar-Rabbani'. So we learned hadhayan means crazy nonsense as translated by Allahyarham Muhtar Holland. The honorable Ghawth al-Azam advised us to isolate from lots of things including our crazy nonsense. Let's quote the whole para again:

"You must go into isolation from the self (nafs),

then into isolation from creatures,

then into isolation from this world,

then into isolation from the hereafter,

then into isolation from everything apart from the Master (al-Mawla).

If you wish to be secluded together with the Master,

you must become isolated from your existence (wujud),

your planning (tadbir)

and your crazy nonsense (hadhayan)!"

Isolate is the key word.

Run is another key word we learned from Shaykh Muhammad Al Yaqoubi. In his tausiyah on 'Purification of the Heart' he talked about fafirru illallah. It's a statement made my Prophet Nuh a.s. to his people, meaning run to Allah or escape to Allah. But the shaykh said to be careful not to equate it with running away because running away indicates some objects behind us. It is about 'running to' or going towards the one goal, Allah, and not looking back. Someone who runs away from something would have the tendency to turn back every now and then as he runs just to see how far he has run. But if we run to something, we'd be focused on the destination and not have anything behind us to distract us. So run to Allah, for He is the goal.

May, by the blessings of the anbiya and awliya we mention herein, Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani (rahimullahu ta'ala), Prophet Nuh (alaihisalam) and Shaykh Muhammad Al Yaqoubi; and also Prophet Khidir (alaihisalam), may we be granted additional strengths to do these two acts in this coming Ramadhan: isolate and run.Ameen.

Lisan al-Din Writer & Editor

This blog was launched in April 2009, in honor of Shaykh Ahmad ibn Mustafa al-Alawi (1869-1934) who founded and directed a weekly publication called 'Lisan al-Din' (Language of Faith) in 1912. Shaykh Ahmad al-Alawi, a renowned Algerian Sufi Saint of the 20th century was the founder of the Darqawiya Alawiya order - a branch of the Shadhilli Tariqah. May this blog, its readers and its writer benefit from the grace and blessings of Shaykh Ahmad al-Alawi, and all the other shuyukh, past and present, whose names we mention herein. May God's blessings be upon our master Muhammad and upon his family and companions. Ameen.

LA HAWLA WALA QUWWATA ILLAH BILLAH 'ALIYIL 'AZIMThere is no power and no strength save with Allah, the High, the Great